second time around the magic was gone About This Page:

[lukeandbrookesmom]

I'm sorry the magic wasn't there for you Thanks for the honest review.

[HeatherD]

Thanks for the review and, like others, I'm sorry the cruise didn't live up to your expectations. I think a lot of times, how vacations are perceived depends on the vacationers outlook - is the glass half empty or half full? On a trip to Disneyland once, we took my (then) future BiL with. He did not enjoy himself as much as we did, becuase he was so caught up in how much more things cost ("I can get a pizza or burger for so much less at home"). Fast forward 5 years to his trip with his kids and his outlook changed immeasurably. He saw the joy in his kids' eyes and suddenly, the cost took a different priority in the grand scheme of things.

We took our first cruise with DCL on the 3 day (having done 2 other 4 day trips out of CA on other lines). We didn't see any shows and skipped Parrot Cay to go to Palo. We took a 7 day this past October and this time, we saw the shows. If there was a menu item that was the same, I saw it as an opportunity to either enjoy a favorite again or to try something new. Olive Garden hasn't changed their menu much in the past several years, but I still go there more than once a year without complaining about lack of choices.

I agree with many others, that you should contact Disney about Castaway Cay. With only 3 days dedicated as "port days" then they have 4 other days they could be doing construction, not to mention the "off hours" on the days the ships are docked. I noticed proof of construction while we were there, but not active work. It may have bothered me, too.

Lastly, we visited WDW in February this year, to celebrate DS' 5th birthday and our anniversary. I checked the weather all the way up to the day before we left. I packed accordingly. The day we got there, a cold front shifted and 2 days later, the temperature dropped 20 degrees! (Very similar to what's happening now). We were freezing! But, we looked at the bright side - not as many people in the parks, let's get some cocoa or tea, a cold day at WDW is better than a warm day at work....that sort of thing.

I hope you'll give Disney another chance. A lot of this sounds like expectations not met, not Disney's failure. Many times, when people "give it another go" they find it's more magical. But if the magic's worn off for you, I'm sorry. I hope you find other vacation opportunities that appeal to you (example, my mom doesn't understand how we can do Disney year after year, and yet her vacation is a week in Hawaii in the same condo year after year - and she doesn't realize it's the same thing!).

[DrDolphin]

Originally Posted by CinciSmithFamily

that is what I was thinking - that there is the possibility of rotating at least one show and menus from the 7 night cruise into the 3 day cruise and vice versa, since the boats are identical - without any additional "investment" costs to Disney. Thanks for your response.

it is an interesting idea - forward it to Disney, maybe they will implement it!

[jenpink]

Sorry to hear your vacation was not what you were expecting. We were on the exact same cruise. It was also our second on the Wonder( though the first was a 4 day). We did not experience what you describe on Castaway Cay at all. We were off the boat at 8:30am and didn't return until 4pm. Sure, we saw some construction, but I didnot see nor hear any active work. I mostly remember just being disappointed we wouldn't be able to use the new slide that we could see. The weather was colder, but we were expecting that and enjoyed ourselves anyway. It wasn't too cold for Parasailing ( awesome) or riding bikes (fun). My daughter and niece were able to play in the sand and play on the inflatables. My nephew and brotherinlaw were pretty blue ( freezing) after snorkeling but they enjoyed themselves.

We absolutely hated "Toy Story the Musical" and wouldn't mind it being replaced ( Bring back Hercules) but enjoyed everything else on baord that we tried.

Sorry again about your experience.

[Sandra Bostwick]

This was a great TR, and I can see you put alot of time into it!

One of the best things about this site, I think, is the honesty. People really don't need to sign on and only see commercials for Disney!

I can see how putting a dent like that in your wallet when there was no magic can be frustrating, especially when pools are being painted and construction is being done.

Hope whatever the next trip is will be better!

[cubfancolleen]

This is perhaps a lesson for all, in terms of reading trip reports, and even closely looking at the Disney Cruise site. As someone else said, Disney tends to make an announcement when shows are changing, but otherwise, they are the same from one sailing to the next (different from 3/4 night to 7 night).
And while the menus may not change much, unless you order multiple entrees in one restaurant, there should always be something new to try (if you haven't sailed 4 or 5 times already). Particulalry on a cruise where you only do one rotation through the restaurants.
I am sorry to hear you had a bad experience, and don't feel you got your money's worth. Certainly cruising is one of the more expensive options when it comes to vacation choices. I would agree with others that on the noise/construction on Castaway Cay, you should complain directly to the company. Although it also sounds like it wasn't as much of an issue on other parts of the island.
Hope you give it a try some other time - probably when trips 1 & 2 aren't so fresh in your mind!

[MickeyWatch]

Sorry that your cruise didn't meet your expectations. Our Disney cruises have always been spaced at least 2-3 years apart and we've enjoyed all three of them. We have cruised on other lines too (RCL, Norweign and Holland America) and Disney was heads and tails above the competition.!!

[Suzie-Q]

Thank you for your honest opinions. We have been back and forth on booking a Disney cruise (we LOVE WDW!) and finally decided to go with a Carnival one in 2011, instead. Partly because the $$$ went so much further (we are doing a 7 day Eastern Caribbean for about $1,500 for 4 of us - spectacular prices!!) The other reason we decided to change was because of the weather, as you found out. We learned the hard way on another cruise 15 years ago that Christmas time anywhere north in the Caribbean is a dice toss. I agree with people who say that we should expect cooler weather but I definitely agree with you that Disney could have responded with some extra effort. We sailed with Holland America then and I have to say they did pick up the slack for the weather. The staff organized all kinds of impromptu activities to keep us busy and happy. That was a trip where our boat was a day after the storm front that was going through, so we had cool weather and some of the excursions were actually cancelled because of storm damage. There were other boats that had gotten stuck travelling right through the storm, so the rain clouds stayed on top of them the whole week! Holland America reacted by borrowing some of the staff from our ship to go over and help with activities and entertainment for the poor passengers on those ships. All in all, it was really nice to see and they handled it extremely well. With the prices Disney cruiselines charge, I would expect the same sort of service from them and it was good of you to let people know of the possibility of poor weather so they don't get all their plans tied up with it. The cruise brochures only show the gorgeous sunny days, don't they?
Bottom line - I'm sorry it wasn't the trip you were expecting and wish you better travels ahead!

[DonaldGirl1]

Sorry your trip didn't turn out like you expected. Maybe the weather just made everything about the trip cold. Are you willing to try cruising with dcl again??

[CinderAbby]

As much as I'm Pro-Disney, I think you have extremely valid points. Reading what you wrote, and trying to put myself in your shoes, I think I would have come home with the same feelings. What you spent is a lot of money to not enjoy yourself. I'm sorry that you had a bad time but thank you for the honest review.

[audrey77]

It is very expensive to produce and execute a new show. You're paying for (and not all are on staff- could be freelance):
-writers
-choreographers and directors
-set design
-musical performers (and recording of the music, sound engineers, etc)
-Character voice talent (Mickey, Minnie, etc... and they are most likely NOT cheap!)
-costume design, shoes, tights, makeup, etc. Possibility of new character costumes ($$$)
-rehearsals (which are most likely all overtime- someone has to do the old show during the day; rehearse at night for the new show)- dancers, singers, techs, hosts, etc. Also remember that there are multiple casts.
-updated signage
-marketing
-ROYALTIES for certain music, character usage, etc. (may pay to a sub-company within Disney)

Switching shows from the 7 day cruise to the 3... changes people's work schedules. I would assume that one cruise is more prestigious or preferred than the other.

You should definitely tell them about the construction...

[Kenny]

First, thanks for this TR. While this site is, of course, pro-Disney, not every thread is positive.
I do think you should be prepared for the possibility of cool weather in December and I believe the construction on CC was due to accommodating the new ships. While it would be nice to stop working when the ships are in port, i wonder if it would be practical. It would probably be cost preventative to have the contractors doing the work just stop when the ships come in.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience...
I think you expected too much.

[CinciSmithFamily]

Obviously ,I'd be happier if Disney had planned accordingly for cool weather as opposed to me. They are the ones taking me on a cruise in the carribean with 80% of the activities they offer off the boat water related. As a passenger I'm fairly limited in my options once I'm on board. I only get one vacation a year -if that - and for the money and my effort, I'm not inclined to make lemonade out of lemons.

And while I agree its expensive to offer variety, the Disney cruise is not a bargain priced cruise. When comparing prices to other cruise lines, I'm going to pay a premium over most if not all major cruise lines with comparable amenities. I mean, we're not having lobster and baked Alaska twice a day - the cost of the cruise is tied to the Disney brand itself, and the reputation they put forward as being a family one stop shop. For Disney to tell me that extra effort on their part is going to cost me more on an already premium priced cruise is pretty bold thinking, IMO.

Some passengers agree with me, some don't , and its good to get differing opinions

I don't expect perfection, but I do know that if I were in charge, I would have put more effort into pleasing customers who 1. are inclined to be repeat business in a very competitive segment in a VERY tight economy and 2. To put the onus on the customer to "hey, its not our fault you are freezing in the water" rings a bit empty when they are ones selling water related activities in the winter months...not just selling but in the case of Atlantis, pushing it.

Its all about perspective, and if you're the type that is thrilled just to be a part of the Disney cruise, as I was the first time, then I can see how you think I'm being too demanding.

But as someone who just plunked down more than $3K for a family of 4 vacation for 3 days, I don't think I am.

[pbwhite]

I too thank you for the honest trip review.

As a prospective (okay, who am I kidding, I already pre-ordered the 2010 DCL passporter!) repeat DCL cruiser, I frequently worry that maybe my amazement, excitement and awe of my first DCL (and first ever) cruise was a 'rose colored' glasses type experience.

I especially have this nagging, since I'm basically the tour coordinator for all 13 of us that will be traveling (the same crew as before), though we're targeting a 7 day cruise, and we took the 4 day prior.

I agree that any CC construction should be taking place when ships are not docked (whether that's a bottom line hit to Disney or not), and I don't excuse Disney for doing work on the pools when on the cruise - if it needs to be done regularly, then a day or 3 in port needs to be built into the schedule - work should not be done that disrupts the guests or takes away from any cruiser.

I do take issue with the fact that you put the onus on Disney in terms of weather/cold beach activity. Really, one has to be realistic in that area during winter - and admittedly, we had fabulous (though not really warm) weather when we cruised in January of 2009.

I'm definitely a glass half full person, so I expect to have a fantastic time, but it's refreshing to see an honest review from a 2nd time cruiser!